Wild Thing

One of the many things I love about autumn is the ritual of dressing up on Halloween. While I personally refrain from the dressing up part, I can't help but fall for the adorable children's costumes that pop up around this time of year; I love the joy and sense of playfulness that a holiday like Halloween engenders. And if I had a kid, I would absolutely put him or her in this Max costume, as inspired by the beloved children's classic, Where the Wild Things Are. Though the cost is a wee prohibitive, I'd rationalize the purchase by letting the kid wear it year-round. I mean, how could a bookish mother resist?

Look at that tail! Incidentally, before stumbling upon the children's costume, I had read an interview with Wild Things author Maurice Sendak that has made the blog rounds in recent days due to Sendak's, uh, colorful opinions about some famous people. The webosphere likes to point out how crochety Sendak comes across in the interview, but I find his candor rather refreshing. So he's human after all! Who would have thought? A fascinating interview that is well worth the read.


{Images from katesy's Etsy, via A Cup of Jo}

Dream a little dream

This sweet-dreaming baby has made the blog rounds this week, and I couldn't resist jumping on the bandwagon because these photos are just.too.precious. What a cool, imaginative, and energetic mommy to undertake such an enterprise. Dream on, little one.

{Photos Copyright ©Adele Enersen 2010 via Mila's Daydreams}

Meet Mr. Pompey Jr.

Take a look at this six-week-old bundle of joy. Don't you want to put him in your pocket and carry him home with you? Or is that just me? Congrats to my friend Linds who is the proud mama of this little guy. What a handome devil he is, too!

Doesn't he look like so much fun to be around? I can't wait to hang out with him more this summer!

Meet G and Z

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting not one but two dashing, ridiculously handsome young men. How many women can make such a claim? The proof is in the pudding below.

Exhibit A: Meet Baby G. Baby G wakes up from a restful slumber and can't help but notice a large camera the size of his head angled precariously too close to his face. He's not sure he likes what he sees.

Baby G decides he doesn't like the bloody paparazzi one bit and tries to thwart the photographic agenda of said pap by fidgeting and waving his hands to and fro, thereby producing the blurry shot below. Score one for Baby G.

Baby G and the paparazzi make up, and Baby G celebrates by falling spectacularly asleep on the aforementioned pap's shoulder. Notice his cool stegosaurus hairdo. Brave soul he is for attempting and pulling off what most dare not.

Exhibit B. Meet Baby Z.

Baby Z likes to pretend he's a mummy; he's already displaying a vivid imagination. Not to mention an uncanny knack for playing possum.

Baby Z, like G, can't take the paparazzi and the insanity of it all. More important, he's rocking the owl onesie he scored at his baby shower (given by moi). Like G, Baby Z is pulling off what most--including myself--dare not.

As you can see, I'm pretty smitten with both men. T better watch his back.

Everything's coming up babies

This has proved to be a very fecund spring so far. My best friend from the 6th grade gave birth last week to her first child, a healthy bouncing baby boy. I am so happy for her and the family she's created. I cannot wait to meet the little guy next month. And as I type this, my friend K is in the hospital and is expected to give birth to her little boy any minute now! Get a glimpse of the nursery K has put together for baby Z. As you can tell from the impeccably organized closet, she is well prepared for the major life change ahead.

Up next: T is expecting a brand new niece or nephew any day now. Exciting times!

Babies and Wine

I know an awful lot of people pregnant at the moment--three of whom are expected to give birth all in the same week--and at the weekend I was invited to not one, but two baby showers, both of which were held on the same day. Is it something in the water? If so, I'll be sure to avoid it! Unfortunately, I couldn't attend one of the showers, as it was too far away, but I was able to take some photos of the shower I did attend. Just your average blissfully warm and sunny March day in Santa Barbara.

I LOVED the baby book theme and thought it was beautifully done. The mother-to-be is an elementary school teacher, so it was rather fitting.

A party isn't a party without a little cheese. The labels add a nice touch, too.

"Z" cookies in honor of the soon-to-be-born baby boy.


My gift for baby Z? A pair of adorable little onesies. I have a thing for owls. Say it loud, say it proud.

Afterward, my friend L (who insisted on being called "L" on my blog, I think in honor of T) and I took the edge off (as lovely as the shower was, it was three hours long. Case closed.) and stopped by a couple wine tasting rooms near the Pacific where we sampled many different wines and proceeded to get (slightly) inebriated. Or at least I did while L smartly remained sober enough to drive. Thanks, L!

While the wines at the first tasting room aren't worthy to mention here, I was really impressed with the second room, Kalyra. I later realized that I've actually visited the winery in Santa Ynez a few years ago. If you can't make it to the winery, I highly recommend you stop by the tasting room in downtown Santa Barbara. I enjoyed every single wine I sipped, from the chardonnay (which admittedly isn't my favorite grape, but I really liked this one) to the pinot noir. I went home with three bottles. I cannot wait to open these lovelies up in the not-too-distant future. Who knew babies and wine go so nicely together?